Looking Back at the Films of 2019 Part 4 - UglyDolls/John Wick - Chapter 3: Parabellum/Brightburn/Ma/Rocketman

Yes folks, Looking Back at the Films of 2019 is back and as of right now it's my biggest one yet. With not one not two not three but five movies. Those being UglyDolls, John Wick - Chapter 3: Parabellum, Brightburn, Ma, and Rocketman. So let's begin.

Why Didn't I See UglyDolls?


Now the primary reason I didn't see UglyDolls was just a general lack of interest. It also didn't help that the marketing just wasn't really there, I think I saw one...maybe two TV spots but other than that I can't really say this movie had lot going for it.





What is UglyDolls?


UglyDolls is 3D animated musical comedy based on the plush toys of the same name. The movie was produced by STX Family, Reel FX Animation Studios, Alibaba Pictures, Huaxia Film Distribution, Original Force, and Troublemaker Studios and distributed by STX Entertainment. UglyDolls was written by Alison Peck and directed by Kelly Asbury. The story is six ugly dolls have found a world where the more pretty dolls receive training before going to the real world where they find love from childern. Now these six dolls will do whatever it takes to go to that world and be loved.





My Thoughts



The Good: The only thing that I think you'll like about UglyDolls is the songs. That are catchy, gotta give them that.

The Bad: One of the biggest issues with the movie was it's filled with cliches. You could quite possibly have a checklist for how many times a trope pops up in this movie. I mean during the end of the movie something heart shaped is the final piece to fixing a problem.....yes...that really happened. The other problem with UglyDolls is the lackluster humor. Things that would play for humor would happen but I just didn't find them funny, I mean there was this one scene where Ugly Dog distracts a giant robot dog that got a chuckle out of me. But other than that not much else. The last thing I discredit the film for is it's one dimensional villain, Lou. He's basically your standard bad guy. The writer tried to flesh him out with a backstory or stories I should say, but they go by so quickly that them might as well not be there.

The Meh: The two things that are grey areas with the movie is the animation. It works but there were a few times when the characters would be singing and the background would be something plain. Like come on. Everything else had a good thing going for it so why not put more effort with those backgrounds. The other mix bag is while it does seem like the filmmakers had good intentions the message of the movie is something we've seen done a hundred times before. I mean how many times do we have to be told being different is okay?

Final Verdict: Bad But Harmless

Why Didn't I See John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum?

Truth be told I was going to make a Road to John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, because that's how excited I was for that movie. But this was my theater I was thinking about so I had to take in consideration that there would be a possibility they weren't going to show it. And low and behold I was right.

What is John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum?

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is a neo-noir action thriller and the third movie in the John Wick film series. The movie was produced by Summit Entertainment, Thunder Road Pictures, and 87Eleven Productions and distributed by Lionsgate. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum was written by Derek Holstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams and directed by Chad Stahelski. The story is after the events from the previous film, John Wick finds himself being hunted down after a bounty has been placed on him. Now without the protection from the organization he once worked for John finds himself on a journey to get the bounty off of him but first he was to go through New York's most ruthless killers.

My Thoughts

The Good: The very best thing about the movie was the action. Holy sh*t! It was incredible. You get gun fights, knife fights, sword fights, fights on motorcycles and even a horse was used as a weapon. It was so crazy and I loved every single second of it. Another thing that makes the film great was Keanu Reeves' performance. One again and just like the previous installments, Keanu is fantastic in this role. What I also enjoyed about John Wick 3 is Chad Stahelski's directing. The guy is great behind the camera. He's got a good visual style and best of all during those action sequences he has nice long steady shots and none of that repeated cuts stuff we tend to see in other action movies. The last thing I'll give the film credit for is it definitely gets you hyped for the fourth movie. Sure we'll have to wait till 2022 but I bet it'll be worth it.

The Bad: I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

The Meh: The only mix bag with John Wick 3 is John makes a deal, accepts said deal, but than I think 15 minutes later he decides to go against the deal he made. I understand where the writers were going for but I think it would have been more effective had John's decision had more development to it.

Final Verdict: Great

Why Didn't I See Brightburn?

Since the first trailer dropped I was looking forward to this movie, I even had a review set up just in case my theater had a showing but sadly the movie lost out to Aladdin. So those plans had to be scrapped.

What is Brightburn?

Brightburn is a horror movie inspired by the DC superhero Superman. The movie was produced by Screen Gems, Stage 6 Films, The H Collective, and Troll Court Entertainment and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing. Brightburn was written by Brian Gunn and Mark Gunn and directed by David Yarovesky. The story is in a spaceship crash lands in Brightburn, Kansas. Inside the ship is a baby boy and the happily married couple of Tori and Kyle Breyer adopt the child and name him Brandon. Everything seems normal until Brandon turns twleve he gains superpowers but also turns into something else. Now the people in Brightburn are in danger from this new apex predator.

My Thoughts

The Good: One effective thing about the movie is the performances. Especially from Elizabeth Banks, David Denman, and Jackson A. Dunn. Banks did a phenomenal job playing this woman who desperately wanted to be a mother/a mom who refused to believe her son could be a killer. Denman really had good chemistry and worked well with Banks and Dunn nailed it playing a kid who goes full blown sociopath. Another thing the writers of Brightburn did well on was showing the breakdown of the Breyer family. Seeing this family go from ordinary to tragedy was definitely a good highlight of the movie. Now I've seen a lot of critics complain about how the movie didn't live up to its premise. My thought is I think they really missed the point, the writers and even James Gunn weren't going for anything complex, they just wanted to make a slasher movie but instead of a guy in a mask it's an evil Superman. Also if they want a more complex evil Superman story, there's plenty of options. Such as Injustice, Injustice 2, the comics based on Injustice, there's DC's Ultraman, Lord Superman, or if you want to go outside of DC Comics there's this indie comic series from Boom! Studios called Irredeemable.  The last thing I'll give praise to is the scares. There's a lot of effective horror in this movie as well as brutal kills.

The Bad: Now this might come off as a nitpick to some of you so I'll understand why you might roll your eyes at this, but the ending song (Bad Guy by Billie Eilish) does not work. I mean we just witnessed a superpowered murderous twelve year old kill people and then a pop song starts playing. Really odd choice.

The Meh: The real thing the film could have improved on is Brandon. Now he's evil side was handled perfectly no complaints there, but the writers should have done a better job on his good side. I mean Brandon says he wants to do good but we don't really see that part of him.

Final Verdict: Good

Why Didn't I See Ma?

The reason why I never saw the movie when it initially came out was it looked generic. I mean how many times have we've seen "lonely man or woman seems nice, befriends some cool person or people, but oh no turns out the lonely guy or lady is really really crazy." I think Lifetime comes out with that movie every single week.

What is Ma?

Ma is a psychological horror movie. The film was produced by Blumhouse Productions and Wyolah Films and distributed by Universal Pictures. Ma was written by Tate Taylor and Scott Landes and directed by Tate Taylor. The story is a group of teenagers befriend a woman who likes to be referred to as "Ma". Ma seems pretty cool at first, even going as far to let the teens party at her house. Then they soon begin to learn that Ma isn't who she appears to be and her house soon becomes a place of nightmares.

My Thoughts

The Good: Octavia Spencer's performance truly is the crown jewel in this. She was nice and sweet when she needed to be, she was cool when she needed to be, and she was definitely creepy and distributing. Her performance is really the only reason to watch the entire movie. Another thing that worked for Ma was the her motivation. We really feel for and understand where exactly she's coming from, even though what she's doing is very very wrong.

The Bad: I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

The Meh: The biggest mix bag for Ma is, the writers really should have gone full force with their ideas. Cause there were instances where it felt like they were going to only to pull back. I mean the movie's rated R, but it was mainly because characters dropped F-bombs, said provocative things, or scenes doing/alluding to someone playing the skin flute. The other grey area is the pacing. The movie does do a good job pushing things forward but there were those times when things got really slow. The final thing I'll say about Ma is the teens are okay for the most part but there are those scenes that makes you wonder why they're still with Ma despite previous scenes. Especially the first time they go to her house. Why would anyone still go there or be around this woman after that is beyond me.

Final Verdict: Okay

Why Didn't I See Rocketman?

Now truth be told I was going to see Rocketman, I heard great things about it and at one point even though of setting up a review, but then I decided to go see and later on review Godzilla: King of the Monsters instead. What can I say? Giant monsters fighting each other and destroying stuff got my attention more than a movie about Elton John.

What is Rocketman?

Rocketman is a musical biographical film based on the life of Elton John. The movie was produced by New Republic Pictures, Marv Films, and Rocket Pictures and distributed by Paramount Pictures. Rocketman was written by Lee Hall and directed by Dexter Fletcher. The story is a young Reginald Dwight has dreams of being a big musical icon. Over the years Reginald changes his name to Elton John and soon is living that dream, however Elton soons spiral out of control due to drugs, alchol, and being in a loveless relationship, Elton will have to beat these demons if he wants to continue living the dream.

My Thoughts

The Good: So, Taron Egerton's performance. Wow. Whatever praise he was getting for his acting back in 2019 was well deserved. He absolutely kills it in this role, and apparently he can also sing too because that's wasn't someone else during the musical parts, that was Egerton. The next thing I'll give Rocketman credit for is the music. Now I'm not an Elton John fan by any stretch of the word but even I got to admit the music was really good. The last thing I'll praise the movie for is it's not your typical biopic. What I mean is the filmmakers took a chance by making this a musical. Because of that decision, we get something different, the movie is a stand out for biographical flicks, and we get quite a few interesting shots. Also 9 times out of 10 the movie just try to avoid the cliches that you've seen from previous movies about musicians.

The Bad: I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

The Meh: The only mix feeling I have with Rocketman is the pacing. There are some scenes that go on for too long but you're willing to forgive those because once the movie gets into high gear again you kind of forget those really slow scenes happened.

Final Verdict: A Much Watch

Okay, that's going to do it for me. Due come back on Monday, Jun 1st for my Classic Film Night's review of The Shawshank Redemption. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Why I Prefer Theaters Over Streaming

Hey guys, so as you've read by the title I'm here to give my opinion on why I enjoy a theater experience over a streaming experience. First I'll start with how I feel in love the the movie theaters than go on tell you why I prefer it compared to streaming, give my thoughts on streaming, and then wonder where these two worlds will be when this Coronavirus is finally said and done.

When I Started Loving The Movie Theaters

My first theater experience goes back all the way to 2004 when me, my grandparents, and my uncle (I have no idea where my parents and sister were at this time, I think they went somewhere where I couldn't be there or something like that. I don't know that part of this memory is a bit fuzzy) went to go see Spider-Man 2. I was really excited because 1) it was sequel to my all time favorite movie around that time Spider-Man. 2) I was going to see before any other kid in my class. So I was getting bragging rights before I even knew what bragging rights meant. and 3) I was going to a theater. Around that time I didn't know what I movie theater was like. My only knowledge of them was from movies and cartoons. Then we arrive and for some reason something just clicked, for some reason I just really came to love. I don't know if it was the good service, the huge screen that just blew my little 7 year old mind, or the really comfortable seats. Whatever the reason I just loved theater and since would go there even to this very day.

Why I Prefer Theaters Than Streaming

The big reason why I love theaters over streaming is I just prefer to get out of the house, support my local theaters, and the biggest one of them all is being surrounded by other like-minded people. It's always great to with those kinds of folks who much like you share a love for movie theaters, are all of the people there as respectful as me and everyone else that follow the rules, no. In matter of fact I've made not one but two post about some of my worst theater experiences, but the thing is for every bad experience I've had there was always ALWAYS an experience that made it great.

My Thoughts on Streaming

So since I love going to the theater over streaming does that mean I hate streaming? No. If it wasn't very streaming I wouldn't be able to watch such great shows such as Netflix's Daredevil. Streaming also helped my review all of the newest DC animated movies which started all the way back in 2017 when I reviewed Batman and Harley Quinn, if it wasn't for streaming I also wouldn't have been able to review seasons one and two of Stranger Things, season one of Titans, the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and if it wasn't for streaming I wouldn't have any recent movies to review what with theaters being closed down. And I'm going to continue with it because I have upcoming reviews for Netflix's The Last Days of American Crime and Da 5 Bloods, Disney+'s Artemis Fowl, and my upcoming reviews for the first seasons of Doom Patrol, The Boys, and The Umbrella Academy. So while I do enjoy streaming I just think there's a time and place when to do it. If there's a show you like binge watch it, if you have nothing better to do then once again binge watch, or giving recent events than yeah, stream.

Why Does The Future Hold for Both?

Despite asking the question I myself don't know the answer. The best I can do is give my predication, I predict that sadly some theaters will close down because the effects of the pandemic however I do believe people will go back to theaters. I don't think it'll be instant I believe it'll be gradual, as for streaming I think it'll still have a good streak going for it, if anything I hope both have an equal amount of success.

That's going to do it for me folks. I hope this CoronaVirus ends soon because like I said I do like streaming but I just love movie theaters more. Anyway do come on Thursday, May 28th for part four of my Looking Back at the Films of 2019. Until then enjoy the rest of your day and stay safe out there.

The Snyder Cut is Coming!

Guys, yesterday at 2:09pm (Eastern Time) Zack Snyder himself told us, no the entire world that the Snyder cut is coming to HBO Max in 2021.

I mean I can't believe this is actually happening, and it's true to folks I'm not making this up. I've even got video proof...

This is so crazy. I mean...we won. Yesterday we won. I now know what the Sonic the Hedgehog fanbase felt like when they got their wish for Sonic to be redesigned for the movie. This is truly a great feeling for not only me but for everyone who's been fighting for Zack's vision for two years...two whole years we've been using #ReleaseTheSnyderCut and it worked.

For everybody that put the work in, to make this happen just pat yourself on the back, drink up, or whatever it is you do to celebrate.

Anyhow sorry if this wasn't a big huge post but I just wanted to get my feelings out there. And if you're curious maybe you can check out my other Snyder cut related post? So that's going to do it for me come back on Monday, May 25th for post about why I love theaters more than streaming. Until then enjoy the rest of your day and remember....we won.

Underrated Films - The Rocketeer Review

The Rocketeer is a 1991 period superhero film based on the character of the same name. The movie was produced by Touchstone Pictures, Silver Screen Partners IV, and Gordon Company and distributed by Buena Vista Pictures. The Rocketeer was written by Danny Bilson and Paul De Meo and directed by Joe Johnston.





The story is stunt pilot Cliff Secord has found a jet pack in a biplane, with this jet pack and a shiny helmet he becomes the hero called, The Rocketeer. Cliff soon discovers a plot created by the Nazis to use the jet pack as weapon, now Cliff must find a way to put an end to this Nazi plot or else the United States could be destroyed.

Why It's Underrated



What makes The Rocketeer so underrated is it's just simply not talked about enough. Sure I might see people talk about it here and there but most of the time people don't discuss this movie. Which is a shame because it's pretty awesome.






My Thoughts

One aspect of The Rocketeer that makes it a great movie is James Horner's score. It's definitely one of the highlights of the movie and my favorite is when The Rocketeer first appears, that music was just so amazing.

Another thing that makes the film good is the special effects. They've aged pretty well and what also blew my mind was all those times Cliff was flying that wasn't the actual actor. Turns out those parts were stop motion, but you wouldn't know that because the special effects artist blended the live-action and the stop motion so perfectly.

The other part of Rocketeer that made it such an enjoyable flick were the performances. Usually I pick who did the best job but for this movie I felt like everybody did great. From Billy Campell as Cliff to Jennifer Connelly as Jenny to Timothy Dalton as Neville and so forth.

In terms of action the movie does have a lot going for it. Although if you're expecting The Rocketeer to do much don't. It primary has him not fighting any bad guys but mostly escaping from them. Which I can understand because the character is a pilot and not a fighter.

The final thing I'll give the movie credit for is it's very much a thrill ride. Despite some good heavy dialogue moments this is definitely a movie that never stops and keeps moving forward.

The Rocketeer is one of my favorite comic book movies that isn't made by DC or Marvel. It has a great score, awesome special effects, performances that are also great, fun action scenes, and overall a good thrill ride.

My final rating is A Must Watch

So that's going to do it for me. Come back on Thursday, May 21st, where I'll tell you that despite these recent times were in, I still prefer movie theaters than streaming. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Scoob! Review

Scoob! is a direct-to-streaming 3-D animated adventure comedy based on the Scooby-Doo franchise and the first installment of the Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe. The movie is produced by Warner Animation Group and Hanna-Barbera Productions and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Scoob! is written by Matt Lieberman, Eyal Podell, and Jonathan E. Stewart and directed by Tony Cervone.





The story is since they were young Scooby and Shaggy have been best friends. Many years later and meeting fellow Coolsville kids Fred, Daphne, and Velma they go around solving mysteries together. However one day Scoob and Shag are kidnapped by none other than the Blue Falcon. Now the rest of Mystrey Inc. need to found out what is going on?

Initial Reaction


Back in April, I made a post stating how my Road to Scoob! was cancelled. Now I figured the movie wasn't going to be released this year but the next year, because that's pretty much what some of the other big films were doing because of the CoronaVirus. So you can only imagine how surprised I was to hear that the moive was going to be released on what would have been it's theatrical release date. Sure I would have preferred it going up on the big screen but it was a "I'll get what I can take situation". Either way I'm happy the movie was going to be shown.








Cons

My only real problem with the movie is they were really shoehorning the shared universe thing. I mean there's one scene with a Hanna-Barbera character that's literally there just because it's a Hanna-Barbera character.

Middle Ground

Other than Frank Welker as Scooby-Doo, you'll definitely need to take some time to get use to the new voices. And my opinion Shaggy's will be the most to get use to, but after that I did come to like the newest cast. They did a good job with the characters they were playing.

Pros

One good thing about Scoob! is the animation. It was very well done and looked pretty cool during certain shots. Another thing I liked was the humor. I laughed quite a lot during the movie, now sure there was somethings that didn't work but my experience when I watched the movie I liked a good portion of the jokes. One thing I wasn't expecting from Scoob! was how it's very emotionally. Mainly with Shaggy and Scooby's friendship and with Blue Falcon having to continue a family legacy. So yeah, while I don't think those moments will be tear jerkers I think they hit the mark for making you feel something. The last thing I want to credit the movie for is it definitely wasn't an average Scooby-Doo mystery flick. Because the last theatrical released Scooby movie I reviewed (Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed) I mentioned while it was good they stayed true to the source material at the same time it also damaged that movie. But with this one I give them credit for doing something different. Also when you get down to it, Scooby and the gang are kind of like Batman and Superman. What I mean by that is there's not just one version of this particular character or this case characters. For instance there's A Pup Named Scooby-Doo where the gang are solving mysteries as children, then there's What's New, Scooby-Doo where it's very much Mystery Inc. but if they've been established in the early 2000's (so 2000s they got the band Simple Plan to sing that show's theme song), and then Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated where even though it has a tongue-in-cheek approach it was also a very darker take on the franchise and so forth.

Scoob! is a movie I think you should give a chance. It has good animation, some good jokes thrown in there, surprising emotional moments, and a different take on the series. The new voices will take time but you'll come to like them. The only negative was the shoehorning of other Hanna-Barbera characters.

My final rating is Good

Alright, I'm all done here. Do come back on Monday, May 18th for my Underrated Films review of The Rocketeer. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Road to Scoob! - Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed Review

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed in a 2004 family comedy film and the sequel to 2002's Scooby-Doo. The movie was produced by Mosaic Media Group and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed was written by James Gunn and directed Raja Gosnell.

The story is after a failed attempt at capture during a museum opening to honor Mystrey Inc., the gang is seen as total failures. Despite this, the team still want to know who's behind this recent crime as well as show the people of Coolsville that Mystrey Inc. aren't a bunch of losers.

• Negatives

Once again these films have a huge CGI problem only this time somehow worse. Granted I didn't give praise to the first movie's CG but at least there weren't times when I kept thinking I was looking at a video game. I mean look at these shots with the Tar Monster, they're hideous.

      

Another negative with the movie is the downgraded sets. When you watch the first movie Spooky Island is very well made, the sets in this however are very cheap looking.

The last thing I'll give Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed a bad rep for is it doesn't hold that rewatch ability to it that the previous movie did despite that not being good.

• Mix

One aspect of the movie I'm split on is the humor. Much like the first one the jokes in this both work and don't work. Although this time around there aren't nowhere near as many fart jokes here like there was in the first, so I guess that's sort of a plus?

The other part of this flick is while it does stay true to the cartoon that can be a double edged sword. Because one hand it being closer to the source material does make it more of a Scooby-Doo property but that also means the filmmakers didn't take that much of a risk. Which may also be the reason why I don't think the movie has a rewatchable aspect to it.

• Positives

The real positive I'll give Scooby-Doo 2 is the performances, no there not Oscar worthy but they are good. Matthew Lillard once again kills it as Shaggy, Linda Cardellini plays a Velma more akin to the cartoon (which does mean the more deadpan sass she had in the first movie goes away but I think that can be forgiven because Linda does such a great job), and this time around Freddie Prinze Jr. and Sarah Michelle Gellar get to play two different characters as supposed to the previous movie where they were basically the same.

Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed is what I think is an alright movie what with the acting and jokes that work for the most part. Although what brings it down is the horrible CGI, cheap sets, and not being much of a rewatch. And other than the humor, being closer to the cartoon did help but also hurt the movie.

My final rating is Okay

Okay. So that concludes my Road to Scoob!. Do come back on Saturday, May 15th for my review of well...Scoob!. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Final Season Review

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7 is the final season to the hit series. The season was produced by Lucasfilm Ltd. and distributed by Disney+. It ran from Feb 21st, 2020 to May 4th, 2020. The season takes place within Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith.

The story is the war seems to be coming to an end. Peace is getting closer and closer, however during a mission Ahsoka learns that something is coming and for some reason Anakin is the center piece.

Initial Reaction

Now I was fully onboard to watch this season. The show was part of my childhood after all, reviewing it was a different story. I mean I didn't review the final season to Samurai Jack so why bother doing it for this show? But after thinking about I decided to go for it. Especially since that ending really got to me.








Cons

My biggest issue with the final season is the Martez Sisters arc. It started out promising but then it just turns into skippable filler. One episode might as well not exist because it's Ahsoka and them escaping, running around the city, and then ending up back at square one.

Middle Ground

I've got nothing to say. Let's move on.

Pros

One great thing about the final season is the animation. It's really gorgeous, in matter of fact I think my favorite shots might of been when Darth Maul stuck out his hand to Ahsoka with glass shattering behind them and that graveyard from the final episode. Another thing you'll like is the action. Especially from both the Bad Batch arc and the fight between Maul and Ahsoka, really enjoyed those two. The greatest strength from the final season is those last four episodes. Oh man....those episodes just sent me on an emotional rollercoaster. With the in pending doom that awaits the Jedi, that fact were seeing two characters we love go against each other, to Rex dealing with the situation at hand, and that very last scene from "Victory and Death" just everything was heartbreaking but such good writing. If this season only had those four episodes to go by I don't think I would have heard any complaints.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - The Final Season is almost the perfect way to end a beloved show. The animation was great, the action was fun, and those last episodes really get in emotional response especially if you've been watching the show since day one. The only downside is the Martez Sisters are not really adding much.

My final rating is Great

So that's all for me. Come back on Thursday, May 14th for the Road to Scoob!. That's right it's coming back and I'll be reviewing Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Review

Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is a direct-to-video comic book movie, the 15th and final installment to the DC Animated Movie Universe, and the 38th film in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. The film is produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment and distributed by Warner Home Video. Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is written by Ernie Altbacker and Mairghread Scott and directed by Christina Sotta and Matt Peters.





The story is after a poorly executed attack on Darkseid by the League, Earth has been decimated by the forces of Apokolips. Now the remaining members of the Justice League, Justice League Dark, Teen Titans, and the Suicide Squad must regroup and plan another attack to take back their world and save the Earth in a war where only the victor can enjoy the spoils.

Initial Reaction


Since 2017, I have being reviewing a lot of the DC Animated Movie Universe films. From old movies such as Justice League: War, Justice League: Throne of Atlantis, Justice League vs. Teen Titans, and Justice League Dark, to the more recent movies those being Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay all the way to Wonder Woman: Bloodlines. So I have a long history with this franchise. Then the trailer was released I got even more hyped for this. Just watching that trailer, reading that synopsis, and then getting to write that synopsis down from my own review I just kept getting more excited for this movie.







Cons

The only true issue I have with the movie is the title. Because it's not just a Justice League Dark movie. Other than Constantine and two other JL Dark memebers being there, it's still more of a Justice League movie. If anything it really should have been called either Justice League: Apokolips War or just simply Apokolips War.

Middle Ground

A gray area with the movie is the characters. Well some get their moment to shine others are lost in the shuffle, in matter of fact some show up and well...does exactly end well for them. But in a way I can understand that, because when you have this many characters not all of them are going to line or stuff like that.

Pros

One great thing about Justice League Dark: Apokolips War is the very dark tone. And I'm just talking about the violence (which by the way if you though Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox, Suicide Squad: Hell to Pay or maybe even The Death of Superman were violent, strap in for this one because holy sh*t), I'm talking about the other stuff as well. The stakes are high, Darkseid and his army are truly being treated like they can't be stopped, and the fact that no character is safe. Another thing that I found enjoyable was the animation. Characters still look good, fight scenes are awesome but one thing I almost skip over was well they made the landscapes. Good detail work with the backgrounds and such, nicely done animators. For a large majority of the movie there are loose ends from previous movies that are tied up. The writers did do a good job with that, I was gonna complain about the post-credti scenes with something like say Justice League: Throne of Atlantis or Teen Titans: The Judas Contract but with the grand scheme of things with this movie they really don't matter that much so you can just brush them to the side. Now for the performances, I gotta say the actors did great. Matt Ryan once again kills it as John Constantine, and I never would have thought he would have such great chemistry with Jerry O'Connell (voice of Superman) and Taissa Farmiga (voice of Raven) but they make it work. The final thing I'll praise Apokolips War for is the ending. Now I did see some people take issue with it but here's my perspective, these characters went through hell. There's no other way to describe it, the DC heroes and villains went through hell. So while the ending may be bittersweet because you're saying goodbye to these characters you also see a real light at the end of the horizon, there's a new hope. And what also made it nice was the movie ended just the way the franchise began with a certain Justice League film that was released back in 2013.

While the weaknesses with Justice League Dark: Apokolips War are a questionable title and characters getting lost those weaknesses can be forgiven with the strenghts, what with the dark tone, the animation, loose ends getting tied up, the voice work, and a hopeful ending.

My final rating is Good

I definitely recommend you check this out if you haven't already. But like I said it's pretty gruesome so it you can't handle that I understand. But that's going to do it for me, do come back on Satuday, May 9th for my review of the final season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

Cinematic Disasters - The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue

The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue is a 1998 direct-to-DVD animated adventure film and the sequel to 1982's The Secret of NIMH. The movie was produced by MGM Animation and MGM Family Entertainment and distributed by MGM Home Entertainment. The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue was written by Sam Graham and Chris Hubbell and directed by Dick Sebast.





The story is after a prophecy was told that a son of Jonathan would save Thorn Valley, that son is Timmy. During what was a peace day Timmy is told by a mouse named Jenny that the mice who were presumed to be dead during the escape from NIMH are actually alive. Now Timmy and Jenny must now rescue them.

My Thoughts




Now right off the bat the movie has complete an uttter BS with this big prophecy about how a son of Jonathan Brisby would save the rats of Thron Valley. First off, they said this prophecy was foertold by Nicodemus. Um...excuse me when did that happen? Where in the first movie did Nicodemus tell us this prophecy? And second off, I want you guys to remember this prophecy said "a son" it said "a son". Why do I want you to remember that, cause it's gonna come back later.



After a breif moment of a nearly escaping from some doctors, Martin and Timmy have a conversation about the prophecy. During this Martin talks about how he should be him instead of Timmy, now that does sound like he's ego talking but the prophecy did say "a son" of Jonathan, it didn't say which one just a son.



This also brings another question why is it Timmy? I mean all he did in the first movie was not die from his illness both while his mom was away and when she came to the rescue. There was nothing in the first movie to even hinted that maybe he'll go on to save the day just like his mom and dad.



And with that being said I just remembered something but Mrs. Brisby gets ABSOLUTELY NO CREDIT! It's like whatever she did in the first Secret of NIMH never happened. The rats never once mention anything she did, it's always about her husband Jonathan. All Jonathan did was unlock a gate. Sure, the rats were able to escape but when compared to his wife is that really anything to brag about? Poor Mrs. Brisby. Saved her house and kids and no praise.



I also came to another thought about this movie and that's how the mood of it is completely different. The first Secret of NIMH had this very dark atmosphere around it but in this movie everything's more colorful. Even when we do have a dark scene the coloring is bright. It's just really odd.



Then Timmy finally arrives to Thron Valley and they immediately start praising him. I'm serious, he arrives, they start treating him as if he already saved them, and then continue to treat him like this to the point where he's given a very special key. Timmy has done nothing at this point and he's already being treated like a God.



It was also at this moment where I've come to hate the animation. It is soooo cheap! Not only do characters seem to go off model from time to time but there are even moments when the lips don't sync up with the mouths. How is it that Don Bluth could make a fantastic movie with a cheap budget yet this movie couldn't?



Oh and let me give you a taste of some of the dialouge we dealing with. This is a real conversation that Timmy and Mr. Ages has...


Mr. Ages: My boy what have I been trying to teach you all these months?

Timmy: Um..that's it's ok for guys to wear the same underwear three days in a row.

Mr. Ages: Well that was just between us. Now what else?


1) That's really gross advice and 2) These characters don't wear any pants. So what underwear are they talking about?



Then we are introduced to another song about how Timmy just can't live up to Jonathan's legacy, and two things about this song.

1) Why is Jonathan getting so much praise?! ALL. HE. DID. WAS. OPEN. A. DOOR!!!!


2) Thoughout the song we see Timmy grow from kid to pre-teen to a young adult and none of the actors during this song can sing. I mean why didn't they just get a second voice actor? Cause then you can have one that could do the talking and the other one that can do the singing.



I also realized something, but why is this musical? The first movie wasn't a musical, so why is this one?



We later get Justin scolding Timmy after a botch mission and my favorite part was when Justin said "You always think you know better than everyone else." Hmmmm, I wonder where Timmy got that idea Justin? It's not like you've been treating him like a holy savior and letting him off the hook whenever he does something wrong, OH WAIT THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DOING?!



So a mouse named Jenny tells the everyone that her parents are being held captive in NIMH. But the rats of Thrones Valley think rescuing them/going back to NIMH would be too dangerous because then the humans would know about them. My issue with this is during the first movie they were willing to help Mrs. Brisby despite the risk and also the rats made Thron Valley so big you could see it from a mountain top. And since it's been years between movies I think it's safe to say if the humans haven't discovered them despite everything I just said then it's safe to say they'll be alright.



Now Jenny and Timmy are held prisoner and during this scene we discover that Martin's been missing. Not only does this come right out of nowhere but this also makes Timmy a horrible little brother. I mean he receives a letter saying he's older brother is missing and he doesn't once go looking for him? Our hero folks, brother goes missing and he does nothing.



They (Timmy and Jenny) later escape in a makeshift air balloon and we get more amazing dialogue, this is literally what Jenny says, "If we die...I'm going to kill you." That makes no sense! You're dead! You can't kill him! What is she going to do? Go to heaven and strangle him with his own halo? Oh man, that is so stupid 😂.



Later on our heroes meet up with Jeremy who is posing as the Great Owl, hoping to scam people out of their money, jewels, and credit cards. Three things...

1) Where is the actual Great Owl? We see what happens to every other character, so where is he?

2) This destroys Jeremy's character. Yes, he had a thing for shiny items in the first movie but he wasn't a con-man.

3) Why do the animals/bugs have money and credit cards? This isn't animals acting like humans like Cats Don't Dance, Zootopia, or Sing. So why do they have money and credit cards?



Now Timmy and Jenny have finally arrived at NIMH and it's revealed our villain isn't the scientist but MARTIN! I'll get into why Martin's villainous turn doesn't make sense later but let me just say that Eric Idle as Evil Martin is amazing. He's really the whole reason to watch the movie, I mean watch this musical number and try to tell me he's not having fun with this role.

With that out of the way, this doesn't make sense because depending on long Martin was being electrocuted he should either be dead or a vegetable.

Then after our final fight Martin is cured from his insanity (don't know how they accomplished that but okay), Jenny and Timmy are now a couple, and Timmy is rewarded with a statue just like his daddy...despite the fact that Tim was nothing more than an idiot in this movie. And once again let me reiterate Jonathan barely did anything and Mrs. Brisby gets no credit for her bravery!

So that was The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue and wow. What a horrible sequel to the previous movie. Timmy is a horrible hero, this has no reason to be a musical, the animation is awful, and the story just sucks. The only thing you'll like is Eric Idle as Evil Martin.

My final rating is Awful

Okay I'm all done here. Do come back on Thursday, May 7th for my review of Justice League Dark: Apokolips War. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.

All Day and a Night Review

All Day and a Night is a drama film. The movie is produced by Color Force and Mighty Engine and distributed by Netflix. All Day and a Night is written and directed by Joe Robert Cole.

The story is a criminal named Jah has been arrested. Now he sits in prison and looks back at the day of his arrest and the circumstances of his childhood. While doing this he tries to understand his way forward in life.

Initial Reaction


Now much like Extraction, I had no previous plans to watch/review this movie but just like Extraction, I decided to give the movie a chance what with me being stuck inside during quarantine. But what also had my interest peak with this film is the synopsis. It sounded like an interesting movie so I decided to give it a watch.








Cons


Now when watching this movie from beginning to end I came to the conclusion that it really should have been trimmed down. The film is two hours and a minute long but when watching it felt longer, probably didn't help with the slight issue I had with the script which I'll get to next, but yeah probably should have been cut in some areas.







Middle Ground


So let's talk about the story for a brief moment. Overall it's good however there are a lot of times when things get repetitive. Like we'll have the same scene but it's in a different setting, which is probably one of those things that made the runtime feel longer like I previously wrote about.






Pros


Now on to the more positives aspects of All Day and a Night, Joe Robert Cole has some really good directing. He made sure the camera stays focus, he had some good shots in there, and he just did a great job. The other thing that made the movie watchable is raw and intense it is. I mean if a movie with this much profanity and violence isn't your thing then you may not like it but it was fine for me because it added more to the story. The last thing I'll give All Day and a Night credit for is the performances from Jeffrey Wright and Ashton Sanders. They are great in this movie and really they're the ones that make it worth watching.








All Day and a Night has a good director, a really intense tone, and great performances from our two main leads. The story is good but those repeated moments dragged down a bit and the runtime could have used some cutting down.








My final rating is Okay








So that's all for me and do come back on Monday, May 4th for my Cinematic Disasters review of ugh....The Secret of NIMH 2: Timmy to the Rescue. Until then enjoy the rest of your day.